Autism In Video Games

[@BeachioSandschannel]

0:58 What’s sad is that Maddie didn’t even want the role. At one point, she cried during filming because she felt like she was making fun of autistic people. She deserves far better.

[@Krimsin01]

well its cuz sia is a piece of garbage who doesnt take maddies emotions into consideration at all

[@amandaletcher1320]

Remember never blame the actors blame the writers who made the thing

[@Krimsin01]

@ no one blames maddie for the poor representation. everyone blames sía

[@paolumouse]

​@@Krimsin01 yeah they were agreeing

[@fernie-fernandez]

Why didn’t she perform a lawsuit on discrimination!?

[@grunch610]

Jesus Christ I misread that as "autumn in videogames" and thought this would be abt like maple treeway from Mario kart Wii or something

[@beuwm]

It's finally Autism, I love the Fall!

[@Barakon]

@@beuwmwa-yay bathden seasoning!

[@MeltingRougeSoul13]

I love when it's Autism and the leaves start to fall

[@pocketinfinity6733]

half of the video would be just stardew valley

[@SleepyLuigi]

That’s still good.

[@springmen1922]

“Autism = special ed” is what kids learned off the internet. So whenever you do something strange, BOOM, get slapped with the autism label of shame.

[@Roadent1241]

Nevermind the internet, they learned it in school with the rest of us who were actually in it. I didn't have the internet when I was going to school.

[@BallScratcher3]

I hate seeing these 4chan posts with the op saying some stupid and then saying hes autistic like no your not autistic your just stupid

[@yuricock]

this is the point i always try to tell people then they tell me im "sensitive" or that im a snowflake or some shit

[@Roadent1241]

@@BallScratcher3 How do you know though? They might actually be on the spectrum but just because they don't tick your specific set of boxes...?

[@minta2749]

@@Roadent1241 i think they meant the people who use Autism as an insult towards others (if i read it correctly)

[@Shythalia]

"I'm going to own you, Silver!" "Ok." Wait, was he just okay with that idea? What?

[@alternimousdimension]

Yes.

[@HellCat_Kenny]

He's a sub

[@fritzout2439]

@@HellCat_KennyHe can’t get more relateable than this

[@Sylvia568]

I would've said "slavery has been illegal for about a century, dummy." In that situation, but if a character i was into said that they were going to own me, I'd probably ask where the collar is...

[@thelordmayor-l5e]

i see

[@Mr_bukowski4435]

I think the best representation I've seen as an autistic myself, is honestly Futaba Sakura from Persona 5. She has a whole arc of accepting something tragic that happend to her and growing from it. But when she joins the team she is still a shut in, beeing very shy and speaking speratically, until one of the characters, Yususke, comments on what is essentially her Power Rangers collection and she opens up defending a special intrest of hers. She is an amazing character I see so much of myself and others in and as a result is probobly my favorite Video Game character of all time

[@birdcrossing]

I think yuske is a good candidate too, i relate to them alot. I also think its why they but heads alot too.

[@grosebud4721]

Yessss!! So true

[@LOVERSTEINN]

REAL!!

[@coldfanta4963]

While it's not confirmed, Erica the VA stated she portrays her like she's on the spectrum! She did a great job with Futaba

[@azzauk1984]

I always saw Kieran Duffy as someone who was terrified of having his brains blown out if he says the wrong thing. I definitley see the hyperfixation on horses now though

[@nabbitgohome9672]

My brain thought you meant Kieran from Pokémon until the Red Dead Redemption part.

[@Cinnamonraisin_Bagel]

@@nabbitgohome9672 imo every rival from scarlet and violet is autistic imo

[@KB-xc6md]

He’s my favorite autistic horse girl I love him

[@snackknight]

i also read this as pokemon's kieran and i fully accepted for a second that i just missed that he was really into horses

[@tacosarentreal]

⁠@@KB-xc6mdagree!! he’s also my favorite autistic horse girl

[@aurosoky]

I really liked this video but I feel like it is important to adress how autism being recognized as a disability is extremely important, specially to level 2 and 3 (medium and low functioning peers). Refusing to label it as such is like saying having a disability is bad, when it's not, all all. We are NOT able to function as neurotypical people, no matter where in the spectrum we are. 90% of autistic people are unenployed. We are more prone to mental illness, bullying, and social isolation overall. Some of us can't communicate or live by themselves. Aknowledging it is a disability is crucial for these people to get help, and there just is nothing wrong with it being a disability, because it's not synonim to it being an illness, which it's not.

[@polocatfan]

Thank you. There are so many people who get mad at me for mentioning it is one.

[@juliagoetia]

I mean, it does kind of imply that we are just naturally inferior to neurotypical people. That having autism or ADHD or whatever else is a defect that we'd be better off not having. I don't really like that. I don't like the insinuation that there's something wrong with me for being like this. I think the fact that you have to go to crazy lengths to prove to other people that you need help just to receive a minimal amount of support is the real problem. Means testing is bad, purity culture and gatekeeping are also bad. People should just be helped as a baseline, not after we've interrogated them about how much they *really* need it.

[@skyhighlander6447]

I agree. I think the issue is admittedly that 'disability' and calling someone 'disabled' just sound excessively negative. So packaging it in terms of 'it is a part of who I am' or 'I am just different' sounds better, but not everyone has the luxury of having 'benefits' from their autism. I feel like the neurotypical/neurodivergent divide already makes the differences between people bigger than they are (we all have much more common ground than I think we like to admit when you look past skin deep) but not recognising autism as a disability would just run the risk of a divide between 'good autism' and 'bad autism'. As somebody who worked as an intern-psychologist and got my degree recently, I have met people where autism was a big limiting factor in verbal communication or emotional regulation, which you'd easily categorise as 'crazy' when seen from afar, but I still had many beautiful moments alongside them. Disability does mean you will struggle with some things to a degree that others simply do not, and you will need help to function in a way that society expects. (Society can only adapt so much, even if there is plenty of areas where it can do better.) Those other people will struggle with things that you in return can handle quite well, it is not a case of superiority or inferiority. Not everybody with autism will need all that much support, some people will go their whole lives undiagnosed living just fine, but not every person with autism has that luxury. For those people, autism is a disability, and though everybody has their own experience (this goes for autism but just for being human in general), think it is just important to realise that it is a privilege if you can tell yourself your autism is not a disability, it's not a truth that goes for everybody.

[@aurosoky]

@@juliagoetia being disabled doenst make you have a defect and that0s not what I'm saying. You shouln't feel embarrassed about being disabled. A disability cannot always be coured, and doesn't necessarily need to and that's the case for autism. Doesn't mean it's less of a disability

[@aurosoky]

@@skyhighlander6447 Couln't agree more!!

[@chieokure_]

maybe the true autism were the friends we made along the way

[@Brisk__]

It truly was an autism.

[@folgado7424]

as a rpg dm I can assure that

[@SitraSan]

Yakuza:Like a Dragon in a nutshell

[@BuckTheODST]

@@SitraSancan you tell me how to get to the station

[@SitraSan]

@@BuckTheODST Ohhh it's ENGLISH.... 🫥

[@leolesley7973]

While it’s true that there are a lot of autistic traits shown in the existence of headspace, Sunny also has traits in the real world as well. Even before the trauma and withdrawal, Sunny didn’t speak much. His facial expressions usually remained stoic, with the occasional blush and small smile; the most expressive we see him is when he’s reading a new Spaceboy comic. But most of the time what he was feeling could be seen through what his eyes looked like, rather than the rest of his face. Something that I like to point to, is the fact that for his birthday, he was gifted a big block set, and then spent all his time after sitting comfortably in the giant leftover gift box with Mewo. Again, stoically, but he is also flushed and clearly enjoying his time, to the point of Kel leaving food in there for them, albeit jokingly, because he won’t leave. Another photo I love is the one near the end with Sunny hugging Mari, with Basil’s caption stating he misses her because she’s taking extra classes. There’s a lot to be said about the composition of that photo, and Sunny’s body language. Another trait is Basil’s entry on his company, quote, “Sunny is a little shy, but he’s a great listener. I always end up venting to him when I get upset or stressed. Sometimes I feel like I’m bothering him, but he never seems to mind.”. We are known for giving a shit when people talk, which is played as “taking things too literally”, not exactly incorrectly. But I’ve seen too that we (autists) will have the effect of openness and lack of judgement on people, which can create the safe environment where people feel they can talk freely. Source: I am autistic ✌

[@musicloverepeat]

I love how we can all see Mae as neurodivergent. I definitely head canon her w BPD bc I heavily relate to being undiagnosed in my younger years, esp after healing in my late 20's. But I love hearing everyone else's perspectives and yours is no different! Thank you for sharing, I'm so glad we can share this across diagnosis/lack thereof!

[@neilfan1016]

yes i’ve seen a few people headcanon her with diff diagnoses according to what parts of her they relate to! i think it’s really cool

[@LexusLFA554]

My Autism was discovered way to late, at 17 years old. School was hell, and solitude was my only escape. Now that solitude has become harmful. I don't have many interests, and starting conversations is often difficult, but the people at my work - at least the open ones - enjoy my company. But there are also some people who have no idea what it is, and one even accused me of lying. The portrayal of the spectrum in moviesis often so riddled with stereotypes, it simply isn't fun.

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@LexusLFA554 I'm autistic too. How could anyone in this day-&-age possibly not know about autism?! I just don't believe that. Also, I hate it when people complain about stereotypes in fictional media because stereotypes have a basis in truth. It's not like they're made-up bullcrap with no basis in reality. Also, portrayals of autism in fictional media have been more varied than people claim. For example, it can't be said that Raymond Babbit, Forrest Gump, Adrian Monk & Ambrose Monk, Sheldon Cooper, and Shaun Murphy are exactly the same as one another, because they simply aren't.

[@LexusLFA554]

@@Optimegatrongodzilla "How could anyone in this day-&-age possibly not know about autism?" By being over 50 years old, close to no internet access, and a soulless person who has no feelings for other people. In terms of media, my comment was probably a bit too general. I have to admit that I don't know of any of the mentioned people except Forrest Gump.

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@LexusLFA554 I still can't imagine someone having never heard of it, unless they were from some crappy, impoverished country.

[@LexusLFA554]

@@Optimegatrongodzilla Well, I grew up to 17 years old without a TV, even if it wasn't in an impoverished land. Just because I don't know something you don't need to insult me.

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@@LexusLFA554 1.I didn't realize you were talking about yourself. I thought you were saying that the "soulless person who doesn't care for other people" you mentioned, who I figure is either your father or your mother, was the 50-year-old you were talking about. 2.I did not insult you. If that's how you perceived what I said, I apologize because that was not my intention. If you're 50, I don't see how you would have gotten an Autism diagnosis at 17 years old because that long ago, the only people who were thought of as being autistic were those who are retarded and outside of medical circles, most people had never heard of autism.

[@WhoIsJoe31]

0:45 Julia was not made by Autism Speaks. Sesame Street initially worked with (iirc) the Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN for short). At the last minute, after Julia's character was pretty much finalized, they backed out of the deal with ASAN and partnered with AS. It sucks, but at least the character was created with the help of an organization that isn't PETA but with Autism.

[@AUDHDlucy]

I prefer them call them autisanazis

[@hiimapenguin]

"PETA but with Autism" is so accurate!

[@giantpinkcat]

Hot Take: I actually like Julia. I just hate what Sesame Street did with her.

[@baby_golden_gaming]

Wait what did they do with Julia if they messed her up I’d be so sad even though I don’t watch sesame street as much anymore

[@sonicfan82]

@@giantpinkcat I agree, I find Julia to be quite nice, and the very fact that I can be able to relate back in real life, that’s an bonus.

[@P1X3LGAMERgo___]

Hold up, a video essay about autism that doesnt just make fun of it, instead it explains and analyze in details? Definitely earned a like and a sub

[@ericonion3561]

Idk whats in your feed, but there's a lot of them. Usually made by autists too.

[@nimbites]

Hmm maybe because he has it himself you dumbass

[@sleepynomi]

as soon as you said 'ubisoft game' i got so excited because watch dogs 2 is one of my all time favourite video games. josh is such a great character and i love how the group encourages him to be himself. i definitely see myself more as more of a wrench though, i'm glad you touched on the idea of him being on another side of the autism spectrum. not to project myself too much onto a character, but i see him as very audhd. i'd love to see another video all about wrench if that's something you're interested in making!

[@SolarSillySolace]

I just want to say that I LOVE the way you swap between two frames on your character when it’s doing its little expressions so that it looks like it’s idly moving or like… idk what it’s called but you know what I mean. It’s so much more pleasant to look at than just throwing up a png that sits there staring at you for a good 5 seconds before changing expressions, and it makes it look so much more alive.

[@thebillyd00]

My favourite unofficially autistic character is Laios from Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi. He's a sweet guy who often gets dismissed as silly, but is really reliable and has a lot more emotional depth than is immediately obvious. His special interest in Monsters is really relatable, and kind of contagious. I love him

[@hellothere-sk4rw]

I’m glad you mentioned him! I don’t want to say specifics and spoil a small plot point for anyone but I want to add there was one scene where he got into an intense fight with an old friend because of how he wasn’t able to notice social cues (and the other party’s inability to actually communicate and understand his perspective) and it really stuck a chord with me as an autistic person who’s been in the same experience. Like I already related to him and thought he was autism coded because with his love of nature and monster biology and generally acting “weirder” than the other cast, but that was the scene that shook me and because of how intentionally he seems to have been written and how much it aligns specifically with the experiences of mine and many other misunderstood autistic people, it made me think “Oh my god, this IS autism, there’s no way it isn’t”

[@thewingedporpoise]

like, I think it is on purpose, I think it's basically official given some stuff I've heard about other works by Ryoko Kui

[@thebillyd00]

@@thewingedporpoise yeah, i agree. I'm assuming its not mentioned cus the language for it doesn't exist in that world, just like it didnt in ours for most of our history. Still makes it kind of unofficial though. Unless the author has said something outright confirming it, rather than just implying

[@speckofdignity2487]

I’ve never seen the show, but the only thing I know about it is that the English VA for Laois is actually autistic himself! (He’s a part of the YT channel smosh and has talked about being autistic a bunch of times)

[@KaraShadows95]

​@@speckofdignity2487Damien Haas!

[@ErikLeroux]

I could talk forever about Edgeworth being autistic. His special interest in The Steel Samurai? His polymath tendencies in school (us finding out he won awards for flute playing, speech giving and golf playing) combined with breaking down at the slightest imperfection? The incredible depths of emotion that he almost never expresses well (I’m thinking of this time in a bonus court sketch in which he hides under his bench because he can’t handle the FEELINGS inspired by Phoenix becoming a lawyer to save him)? So relatable.

[@mistdoesstuff]

SAME BRO LIKE AT THE END OF TURNABOUT GOODBYES WHEN HE TAKES MAYA’S “that’s how you say thank you!” LITERALLY AND HE JUST GOES “Whooooooooooop.” IS SO AUTISM CODED LIKE JAJSHDBDJD

[@highsourjamapple9141]

I didn't know Edgeworth was autistic what 😭 waa and Phoenix being a lawyer to save him made me so happy

[@ErikLeroux]

@@mistdoesstuff I KNOOOW I was thinking about that myself after I made my comment! Great moment.

[@Eddierewrwrwerw]

I always figured his problems with imperfection came from Manfred.

[@ErikLeroux]

@Eddierewrwrwerw I can definitely see that exacerbating it. However, if you were (perhaps overtly) Special Interested in the character as I was once, one finds lore suggests that he was like that long before his father died. (We get the bits that Phoenix knows about, of course, but it's even expanded upon, primarily in AAI2.)

[@BeachioSandschannel]

Kieran didn’t deserve a thing that happened to him. Got tied to a tree, occasionally assaulted, sexually harassed by Bill, and eventually killed. Rest in peace, paranoid king!

[@gaitadefoles]

I read this before watching the video and thought it was about Kieran from Pokémon 😭

[@HowDidWeGetHere-b7c]

The fact my name is Bill 😳

[@bibsnana]

the spoilers sob sob

[@StarryEd1tz]

ME TOO LMAOO​@@gaitadefoles

[@gaitadefoles]

@ 😭😭😭

[@sunnyxiao69]

As someone with high-functioning trauma and also asd, I'm glad sunny is in here. Ever since my trauma came out I was told that my autism symptoms are just consequences of that even though a lot of my behaviors are older than my trauma. I think it's important to note that autism makes people more susceptible to trauma and outbursts like the one sunny had. It's often hard for me to decipher emotions so I see the emotion system as a way of him understanding them himself and maybe based on an emotion chart they give to kids with autism to help them understand and recognize those responses. thanks for another great video!

[@bepbepbepe]

wait this comment is insane I relate to you so much I also have trauma and aspergers and my autism gives me outbursts that are only doubled by my trauma. I also have so much trouble with my emotions as they're too complex for me to understand 😼 I.... also.... have a character to relate to.... Connor.... detroit become human....

[@bepbepbepe]

he has so many quirks I relate to like info dumping about random shit in the middle of the street in public, blindly follow instructions because he doesn't know what else to do, have limited facial expressions and tone of voice, ingests and grabs literally anything unknown, and so much more I could go on and I happily would GUYS i love Connor

[@dean1111]

I'm going through a lot after recently being diagnosed with autism and just listening to a fellow autistic person talk about their interests made me feel really comforted. thank you

[@Gust3883]

It's honestly kinda crazy how I can relate to every single character in this video, at least a little bit. The perfectionism of edgeworth, being open to people I feel more safe to and taking the blame for everything like Josh (aswell as the tiny examples in 7:34), not being able to read context clues like Silver, the short temper of Wrench, talking a lot about things I love like Kieran, being shy and quiet like Sunny, and not feeling like I belong like Mae. Great video!

[@not-tainefeeney]

Honestly same! It's kinda uncanny 😅

[@Nevkx]

Yes, specially when I feel like those characters sometimes

[@illuminum8576]

Uh, if you can really relate that much, maybe take a look at autism and ADHD(the two are often very similar).

[@Gust3883]

@@illuminum8576 I already have, I have autism, but not ADHD.

[@vulpixie3843]

As an Ace Attorney fan, i think Ace Attorney was how I found out I had autism. It was a huge hyperfixation for me, making me wake up, eat, play all day and voice the characters, and then sleep. So thank you ace attorney for awakening the neurodivergent

[@alarmlessRifleman]

ADHDer here, had a huge hyperfixation on AA for several years, wrote a 1.000+ pages long fanfic set in that universe but with my own characters. Instantly fell in love with Phoenix Wright because there's no way this dude doesn't have ADHD, just no way. He's such a perfect representation of how our brains work.

[@v4nilla20]

guys I've never considered picking up an Ace Attorney game, but I am quite into the concept of law and lawyers and prosecutors and trials... and characters in games... should I...

[@vulpixie3843]

@@v4nilla20 i definitely recommend! although it is not accurate to real life law in virtually any way, it’s just super fun

[@v4nilla20]

​@@vulpixie3843 HELL yeah, it doesn't have to be anywhere near real life law! do i play the games in order? what would you recommend?

[@vulpixie3843]

@@v4nilla20 The Phoenix Wright Trilogy should be first, and then the Apollo Justice Trilogy. There are spinoffs and a prequel set in Victorian England but those aren't necessary to understand the big story, it's more if you want more Ace Attorney

[@tophatjoe5042]

Watch_Dogs 2 is one of my favorite games, I bought it on release day on disc which I still have. Josh has become SO kino as I've gotten older and entered the workforce. Everything about his social interactions, posture, confusion, and ESPECIALLY the imposter syndrome and self deprication is literally me. Like, I got another pep talk from my supervisor TODAY to reassure me that I'm doing good.

[@tophatjoe5042]

Outside of work im like a twitchy, infodumping, hyperfixating machine full of hobbies and bursting with stories and information, but while im at work or otherwise around very normal and unfamiliar people I clam up and become really succinct, stoic, and robotic just like how Josh is in the game. I think it could be because of teen bullying trauma mixed in with a percieved external "vibe" of societal pressure to conform and appear outwardly normal that keeps me not nessesarily masked, but armoured.

[@giovannicervantes2053]

Not to mention in canon josh is an operator he gets around and puts fools to the sword in Brazil when their dedsec branch goes dark

[@Moonshine449]

That game just speaks to me, it’s also one of my favourites. My kind of characters, I agree with their ideals and goals and Turbo Lover played in the chase during Cyberdriver. 10/10

[@brendanthebomber.]

@@Moonshine449I have found my people

[@abrahamambriz892]

Another character that perfectly represents autism is Futaba Sakura from Persona 5 (and the only waifu besides my darling Haru from that game). She's a cutesy otaku with exceptional hacking skills, her jokes and quirks stem from her adorable attempts at socializing as well as her intense passion for anime and gaming, she aids the Thieves as the navigator with Necronimicon, her Persona, allowing her to analyze palaces and enemies and provide stat boosts, and her Confidant story is one of my favorites because you progressively make her more confident to be herself and open up to more people besides you and your friends. It moved me when she said that Sojiro will always be the best father she can have, and that you're the brother that brought her back to life, especially because of the fucked up mistreatment she got from her own family after her mom (who also showed some autistic traits according to Sojiro when he met her and had a crush on her) was killed by the main villain's henchmen plus the fake suicide letter forged by his colleagues crudely putting the blame on her, causing her to create a tragic palace (the Pyramid of Wrath, a deadly sin derived from her depression and self-hatred) representing her 2-year long suicidal thoughts. I love Futaba for who she is and how she gets along with the team, especially for a navigator who's Persona (think of a JoJo stand named after mythology or classic literature) is a badass UFO. PD: I'm autistic, too. And I wish autism was represented more faithfully and respectfully in a positive light as the characters you're highlighting.

[@Mr_bukowski4435]

I mentioned this too. She is very much on the spectrum letting a massive tragedy define her life, being a shut in, her struggle to socialize, her geeking out over her hyper fixations and intrest. They are all traits I see myself in and is a massive reason as to why she's still my favorite video game character of all time

[@dinarichyperborean1455]

Josh is the Autist me to outsiders, Wrench is the Autist me to the initiated.

[@Gensrgngnwrynyrn]

I honestly feel like Wrench has ADHD instead of autism. As someone with ADHD I can relate to almost everything that Wrench does specially when it comes to being loud and being bad at reading the room

[@wizardthecat9808]

The two conditions have a decent amount of overlap. I was misdiagnosed with ADHD for a short time, then after a brain scan I was rediagnosed with Asperger’s.

[@JJTheCardinal]

It's always possible to have both after all ^^

[@kingdollop-head743]

@@wizardthecat9808Brain scan? That usually isn’t part of the diagnosis of autism. What kind of brain scan was it?

[@wizardthecat9808]

@@kingdollop-head743 I don’t believe it was the brain scan alone. More that it was contributing to a rediagnosis. The brain scan was done because I was having seizures.

[@AzariahMarinaStarcaster]

To be fair, it's technically possible for him to have both. He does give me more ADHD vibes as well, but I could just as easily see him having both and leaning into the ADHD side more heavily.

[@twilightmoon96]

I noticed with the clips that Josh avoids eye contact a lot. That's a super nice detail and makes my own autistic heart happy.

[@Blake_murray16]

I tend to have moments where life stops feeling real where I can drift into my head a lot and freak out when the feeling lasts too long, playing Night in the Woods helped me put that feeling into words better, and made me feel less alone in that feeling. I owe that game a lot.

[@marmalade8915]

Mmm, dissociation

[@ChrisisCroissant]

Genuinely, had this strange feeling where my eyes saw the world as it was yet my brain made me felt like I was staring at just a collection of shapes and colors. And until I remembered NITW exists, I genuinely had a hard time putting the feeling into words This game is an absolute masterpiece

[@statementofjoespooky1660]

I have two tattoos (one of Mae and one of one of her doodles from her notebook) because this game helped me get through discovering my depression, anxiety, dissociation, and autism. It helped me stop being suicidal, and it helped me when I had a crisis of faith and stopped being Christian. I owe NITW my life for those reasons, and adore the game for it. It will always be very important to me.

[@Hex_Hub_Plus]

I'm on the spectrum. And I always had extreme liking to Silver The Hedgehog. One of the main reasons is that he's EXTREMELY misunderstood!!! Like I usually be!

[@x-Rush575]

Silver is my favorite character! I actually took a quiz to see what my personality type was after I found a sonic character personality type quiz, and I got the same type as him! I have over 100 sonic merch items, and I wish they had more Silver items. They're releasing more Silver the Hedgehog items this year like the Tubbz duck, the Silver bling bling necklace (which is what i call it), and even silver squishmallows! For some reason, I always like the most hated games in the Sonic franchise. I don't understand why they're hated. Sonic 06 and Sonic Chronicles are my favorites. I don't run into weird glitches on 06, and it's completely playable for me. Of course, there's regular glitches or camera angle problems that any sonic game would have. I think it's because i play it on my Xbox with it downloaded to the hard drive. I love the music in Chronicles and the story. I've beat Chronicles 2-3 or more times. I'm pretty sure there are other people in Crisis City because Silver said "no one will answer me directly, but they always point...to the flames", yet Blaze seems to be his only friend (at least before Sonic and his friends showed up). The part where he said "You're my friend...right?" hits hard for me because I'm always wondering if my friends really want to be with me, or if they're just pretending they are like all the other previous friendships. Everything is so confusing with that. Silver is worried about losing her because she's sacrificing herself and that's his friend, but it's even worse because that's his ONLY friend. Maybe he was also wondering how he could even make another friend, and if he succeeded in that, could he keep them? I really should read the comic to find out more about him. It's just that I find the comics boring unless it's about him or the fleetway comics. I'm also wondering, if this is the year of Shadow, will next year be the year of Silver? Especially with the slight surge of Silver merchandise. I prefer Pete Capella, his original voice actor, though. The new one just isn't the same. I also kind of wish they didn't delete the timeline in 06. Maybe they'll redo that. It's like Silver and Blaze barely know each other because of it (at least in the games). I'm also kind of worried if they do redo 06 and any previous voice lines or graphics change. I just really want everything the same for some reason (besides the timeline isn't deleted) and the graphics and voice actors remain the same. I actually clicked on this video because it was about autism and Silver was on the thumbnail. I now want to play the first game they mentioned.

[@Hex_Hub_Plus]

@x-Rush575 Man! He's like my ultra favorite man... He's just so cool!

[@x-Rush575]

@@Hex_Hub_Plus Way past cool!

[@Hex_Hub_Plus]

@@x-Rush575 Have you read the Archie Comics with Silver in it!? He's just so gosh darn cool! I've made him my mascot for my Twitch channel and made a whole bunch of emotes of him!

[@Hex_Hub_Plus]

@@x-Rush575 You are in for a treat! You'll love even more when you read the Archie Comics!

[@samueleatsmoss]

12:07 "Silver! the Denny's is that way!" "Finally, a Grand Slam!"

[@LimusTSlime]

SAVE A CHEESE MELT FOR ME SILVER!

[@folgado7424]

what makes it so hard to create autistic characters is that autism is unpredictable by nature, two autistics can be the complete opposite of each other, hell, me and my friend (both autistic) are basically, one is a genius at useless information and the other an authoritarian furry

[@LuckySketches]

It's like Pinky and the Brain but you're both Brain in different ways.

[@Catnap_0-0]

That's what I said aloud lol​@@LuckySketches

[@Vanity0666]

​@@LuckySketchesone is a fascist, the other's insane

[@Dademon]

Didnt know hitler and the joker were chill like that​@@Vanity0666

[@delvin0965]

I’m autistic myself yet I didn’t notice that half the characters were on the spectrum. It’s easy to forget that it’s just one part of our personality when it blends with interests and circumstances. Fictional characters are masked by stereotypes but once you see the pattern it blows your mind.

[@nimbites]

They aren’t its mostly made up

[@nimbites]

Like I could just say Aiden Pearce is an the spectrum doesn’t mean it’s factual

[@chuggaa100]

Cause they aren't and this dude is reaching

[@boomgirlbucko]

"Now, if you've had sex before, then you probably don't know who Silver is." Oof... I felt that in my aro ace gut...

[@nimbites]

Use it or you lose it also if u don’t have sexual edges ur schlong is definitely not atleast average

[@SleepyHollowKnight]

Lmao real

[@theguiltysecondaccount2100]

God I haven't even played 06 but I know him from ocassional appearances in other Sonic games and yeah... the questioning aroace in me was like "damn dude, ouch"

[@boogitybboo]

Honestly I have Attention Deficit and it's really a pain sometimes. It ain't just about having zoomies and being "quirky" all the time. There's difficulties I have had to overcome that not many others in my life can relate to. My point it is hard being neurodivergent, but it feels good to hear people be proud of it.

[@ValforDragoon]

My goodness, watching this video honestly made me tear up with so much joy. My girlfriend has fairly severe autism. She’s my best friend, and my favorite person in the world. She’s had a very hard life, in large part because she’s been so surrounded by people who make her feel bad about her autism, something she has no control over. They delegitimize her and her feelings. Our relationship has been such an incredible learning experience, and it’s unequivocally been the healthiest, happiest relationship I’ve ever had the joy to be a part of. And I think the reason we connect so well is because I’m the first person who has truly empathetically seen and sought to understand her. Hearing you talk about the characters in this video made me so deeply happy, because I see so many beautiful little bits of autism, and by extension, her being celebrated. To be depicted so positively. So kindly. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I’m overjoyed seeing these parts of her celebrated, as they deserve to be. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for creating this video ❤ (P.S. I’m working on getting her into gaming. I sent her this, and I’m so excited to hear what she has to say, and which of these games she might want to try 🥰)

[@Lethargy_Lottie]

I haven’t been diagnosed with autism, but from what I’ve heard other people say, animation and comics tend to have much better representation than live-action media when it comes to the topic… especially in regard to the examples you gave (ಥ_ಥ) I can’t understand why this pattern is so prevalent, though. Maybe it’s a difference in directorial decisions, or some traits are easier/harder to portray in certain mediums…? ¯\_(⊙︿⊙)_/¯ Also, Silver The Hedgehog mention! I win. Seriously though, I’m happy you brought him (and the general franchise) into the conversation (⌐■_■) Sega had quite a habit of sidelining interesting characters and plots when “cringe culture” was at it’s peak. However, now that we’ve (hopefully) unlearned shame, they’re making a comeback ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ Anyways, I’d argue that a good chunk of characters in Sonic The Hedgehog exhibit signs of neurodivergence, including (as you had already mentioned) Silver! Starline, Sonic, Shadow, Tangle, Tails, Big, Knuckles, and even Surge are also particular standouts, in my opinion (^-^) On top of that, I consider many characters in Deltarune and Undertale to be on the spectrum (∗•ω•∗) Actually… this is Toby Fox we’re talking about, it’s probably easier to list who doesn’t constantly exhibit neurodivergent traits.

[@xxcanthinkofanamexx1688]

I agree with everything you just said. I also feel like Amy might be on the spectrum (and I could probably go into why very in depth) that might just be me projecting though.

[@xxcanthinkofanamexx1688]

I agree with everything you just said. I also think that Amy is on the spectrum and could probably go into why in depth. That may just be me projecting but still.

[@JaybirdIDV]

I like your use of these ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡ ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ ✧(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[@honkfiend7981]

One of my favourite details about Josh in Watch_Dogs 2 that always stuck with me is that someone, I think Marcus, stopped someone else in the crew from giving him energy drinks because "You know what they do to him." and that was a detail so hyperspecific that I know they for sure had a bunch of Autistic people in the writers room.

[@Freakishly_Weird]

I recently discovered I was on the spectrum this year. Every thing confusing in my life has made a lot more sense now...

[@W4llt4lkr]

I'm getting diagnosis this week and I'm scared but I don't know what I'm really scared of is it the disappointment or the future. do you like black holes?

[@Freakishly_Weird]

@@W4llt4lkr Black holes low key scare me like the idea of them is terrifying but they're also so interesting.

[@W4llt4lkr]

@Freakishly_Weird yeah did you know a black hole in the mass of a penny explodes

[@Maskeroff.]

Wholeheartedly same. I got diagnosed with it like 3 weeks ago, it explained everything. I wasn’t surprised though, as after my curiosity got triggered earlier this year and I did some research on it, I was pretty confident I (and my Dad) had it-I wasn’t about to leave it at a self diagnosis, though, there are enough people who don’t have certain disorders, yet claim they do.

[@Roadent1241]

I hope things stay good for you. I also found it good to know but my most local friends apparently decided I was enjoying it too much.

[@Kaltagstar96]

As someone with autism, I'm so glad that this video got recommended to me; really amazing work. Also, I've only known about Josh for a few minutes and I already love him.

[@Yowiwzowie]

hello! sorry for the long rant because I never comment on videos this is uncommon for me , but as a person with Aspergers I got so excited for someone to FINALLYYYY talk about Sunny in omori.Omori is my biggest hyperfixation ever and I got so excited I genuinely started crying. His character just means so much to me because I’ve never seen a character behave so similarly to me and this whole game just holds such a special place in my heart. Thank you so much for making this video and for just being a safe place for autistic people such as myself.

[@birdcrossing]

Please dont use the term Aspergers, its outdated and is literally the name of a nazi scientist that decided which of us were worth keeping alive or not. Please use asd (autism spectrum disorder) instead, or literally anything else

[@coolchannelat]

“Being autistic was something I was ashamed of” literally makes me realize how lucky I am to find out I was autistic AFTER I gained self love lol. I would’ve been so insufferable if I had known I was autistic like 3 years ago, I would probably talk about it all the time and make it everyone else’s problem. Sometimes I wish that I knew I was autistic beforehand because that would’ve given me more awareness and time to figure out how to deal with it more, but this one phrase has made me come to the realization that this is probably for the best lmaoo. The day that I found out I was autistic I was confused (not because it didn’t make sense to me, I was just surprised because I never considered it as a possibility), but like I was never really like “oh noooo I have autism dang” I was just like “ok ig cool?” And also it helps that I was obsessed with Abed from Community and the reason I even found out I was autistic was because I found out he was autistic (I literally related to him so much without realizing he was autistic, found out he was autistic and was like “wait am I autistic”, researched autism, and took medically approved tests that said I was autistic), so pretty much realizing I was autistic was just like “ok so I’m even more like one of my favorite characters of all time than I realized” lol 1:42 oh my gosh this would literally be such a good time to include an Abed shoutout which makes me think this KZbinr hasn’t seen Community, so if you see this PLEASE please watch the show Community. It starts off just decent, but gets REALLY good and hilarious midway through the first season

[@dykeyuri]

i was gonna mention abed too!! hes such good representation!

[@twuhrheh1410]

Night in the woods was such an important game to me because it helped me realize that I am not the only person with disassociation issues. While I would still have moments it atleast gave me the closure to learn what I have. I also have a sharkle tattoo on my leg.

[@neilfan1016]

me too, i think the representations of wide ranges of feelings, conditions, issues, etc is really cool to see

[@Rayqson]

One more thing I noticed about Josh in WD2 in this video: he fidgets when sitting down moving back and forth as a stim and he's also having problems with maintaining good eye contact, looking at and away from people repeatedly or just not looking at people at all when talking to them which is so relatable. Also this explains why I liked Silver so much (and still do). I haven't really interacted with recent games or comics but what you showed? Damn. Also Omori is literally me hello??? (Inlcuding having a sweet and lovely sister but without having *spoilered*)

[@trent7258]

Night in the woods actually has a really special place in my heart because of Mae and I only found out about it awhile ago. I do actively dissociate a lot where I don’t really recognize I’m alive or have out of body experiences when I sleep and that and being in college is really getting to me. So night in the woods having a character like me makes me feel less alone

[@igneouskull]

As someone who does have autism and used to go to special needs education. I started playing NITW mainly cause of this video, and I became obsessed with it! I can relate to Mae not just cause of the good portrayal of autism, but I had incidents back when I was in school where I would lash out (though, none were as bad as Mae’s) and even lashed out in my previous college last year due to a chain of bad events. And to some people, and even a former friend of mine! now sees me as a wreck less 13 year old from secondary. Irl problems aside! the game has a good rhythm game, interesting characters, and the story is nice. What makes it more interesting is that every character has their own story.

[@froggykimmy]

As an autistic person myself seeing all these characters I never knew before was so fun to listen to! Such a wonderful video

[@wingsofzero5732]

It's funny because I was watching a friend stream Omori earlier this year and he's on the spectrum, and when I asked him what he thought of Sunny he immediately said, "Oh, Sunny is autism-coded, definitely." Sunny is definitely interesting from a character point because you can extrapolate a lot of his personality from the gameplay, narration, and even the Foe Facts journal. Off the top of my head: - He likes to rate people's beds based on comfort. Literally every bed he can interact with he will rate it based on how comfortable it is to lay on it. The funny thing is his friends don't even comment on it which implies that they understand that this is just a Sunny™ thing to do and I love that. - He's got a very dry sense of humor - his musing on several enemies in Foe Facts really show this (especially the Rabbit(?) enemy). - In gameplay, Sunny is immune is being Happy and can only reach Tier 1 Angry and Sad which shows how much he's suppressed his emotions. Even his Tier 1 Angry looks way more intense than the others. Contrast to Omori, who is the only party member to reach Tier 3 emotions. - He's courageous to boot. Even when faced with his fear of water, he will jump in and learn to conquer his phobia as well. For someone who, at that point, had only been out of the house for several days that's a pretty big deal. There's a lot more I could go over, but yeah... Sunny is a very fascinating and deep protagonist to me.

[@Josuh]

i omor

[@bumbabees]

im autistic and i immediately thought he was autistic too, even before i was diagnosed lmao. he speaks so much to my experience growing up with autism, its insane. i could write a whole ass essay on this exact topic in all honesty, but just so i dont ramble, personally my favorite part about him is that despite being "strange" and not communicating in a conventional way, he is always shown as a very kind and loving person, and his friends never once treat him differently. on my first playthrough it honestly almost made me cry several times watching kel interact with sunny, seeing how patient and non-judgmental he was. they all treat him so _normally_ and...yknow, maybe thats a stupid thing to cry about, but i see so much of myself in him and its so hard to find people like that. people so understanding, people who dont infantilize you or demonize you. it just made me really emotional ^^''

[@starlesscitiess]

the thing that sticks out to me about sunny is how much of headspace is based on wordplay - jawsum being a loan shark, becoming toast when you die, the unbread twins, kel’s pet rock just off the top of my head. it reads to me as sunny taking very literal interpretations of phrases he’s heard and incorporating them into the dream world just bc he finds them funny. i really enjoy it hehe

[@yay29823]

The thing I struggle with Sunny is that it's kind of difficult to draw the line between what is his obvious autism and what's his trauma. What helps is looking back at his childhood and see what are the behaviors that carried on to his adolescence and what behaviors he developed after Mari's death

[@wingsofzero5732]

@@yay29823 That is very true! It's implied in a lot of the flashbacks that he's a very quiet kid who didn't show much in his facial expressions. If you wanna go meta you could say that his lack of speaking as a protagonist is selective mutism, but it all comes down to interpretation.

[@TheEverythingEnthuiast]

i'm barely 2 minutes into the video and i'm already experiencing the 5 stages of grief

[@theguiltysecondaccount2100]

Ok same man. Idk if I have autism, but when I was listening to Josh from WD2 I wanted to fucking cry, but I told myself to hold it in. Then got hit again with sadness at Kieran, and finally broke when I hit the Night in the Woods. Had to get up and clean my face and everything. I skipped the Omori part cause I need to finish the game but thinking back on him too, I just feel him also... It's weird, I'm not sure if I can truly relate to the characters but something about the things they said and did really just punched me in the gut.

[@AussieBleuu]

I appreciate you speaking on this topic, because I myself was diagnosed with high-functioning autism/asperger's when I was about twelve years old, and the hardships I've endured were largely because of the neurotypical, or rather, stereotypical view that would have others thinking I was stupid or a genius, and never just recognized as a regular person or for my work. I'd endured years of bullying and trauma, further intensified by my father's narcissism, and my struggles followed me into adulthood. Social media would sometimes have you thinking that autism is more accepted today and perhaps less 'taboo', but in my day-to-day interactions and in online spaces, that hasn't been the case at all. What's more is that, at various colleges, I've encountered even more ignorance; even my college's program designed for people on the spectrum was not understanding or helpful, and to make matters worse, they also collaborate with Autism Speaks. And in online spaces, it's no better, and is in fact the same as ever. People are still making insulting 'jokes' about autism in gaming, no matter where you go. And while it's totally normalized, and while I'm desensitized to the insults and autism jokes, the fact remains that it hurts and no one should have to grow thick skin to be treated that way. I've learned to internalize it; to go along with the jokes in fear of being ridiculed; I wonder how many others do the same, but we just never heard about them? But what really bumped it to another level was witnessing a young kid ask me if I'm autistic and telling me to k*** myself because he got angry at me in a video game. Sure, I can handle it - but the autistic kid who hears that and doesn't know how to talk to someone about it? They could take that literally. This kind of behavior is being passed onto these kids. It's the same pattern, and I'm re-witnessing history repeat itself. I think there's probably a lot of people out there who recognize this stuff, but they don't speak out in fear of being ridiculed. And our voices are limited to a comment section, so we have no influence to change anything.

[@BillyHomyard]

Person with Asperger's syndrome here. Honestly, I agree that autism is poorly portrayed at times, growing up I struggled with it, it was clear as day that I was on the spectrum; obsessions over specific topics, tantrums, poor social skills, etc. This fortunately stopped when I was in about year 7/8 (12-14 years old for people not in England), and I've gradually improved, I'm 16 now and if I met 11 year old me he'd be shocked, my obsessions in natural disasters and history have become GCSEs in history and geography, I can socialize and have conversations, hold eye contact, I've fallen back into Christianity and I've managed to do nativity readings in front of a large audience, and I haven't had a tantrum in years, now when I tell people that I'm on the spectrum they usually have a surprised look, and although I can be quite cold at times and talk about useless facts too much, I can control that. The only issue is that I think autism is stereotyped as people having the mind of a child, which might be true, but it's a unique condition since it can refined and become a valuable asset, I think it's a little different in everybody, and I don't want to toot my own horn, but personally, I think I have a decent memory, I'm quite creative, ambitious, kind, and forgiving, and I've met people with Asperger's who are like this as well, and are some of the best people I've ever met. So you see, people with autism may not even be noticeable, some still struggle of course, I do at times, but all I ask is that you are patient, understanding, and to treat us like anyone else when we're in the lowest of lows, we may be wired differently, but we still have an unique side to us that you'll never see in anyone else. Thanks for understanding :)

[@Joel-nu1ed]

0:16 as a fellow autistic Star Wars nerd agreed(and it looks like we’re both trans fem)

[@Dademon]

Autistic ultrakill fan here. the arch angel keeps calling me an INSIGNIFICANT FU-

[@LxckyRxbbit]

I’m trans ftm, possibly on the spectrum (awaiting evaluation) and just started getting into Star Wars :)

[@aislingilayne]

yayyy more autistic trans star wars nerds 🥰

[@Sean_Jaggers]

silver was always my favorite growing up, id listen to his theme from 06 all the time out the 3ds speakers while i played minecraft or whatever

[@swede4p]

I clicked on the video because I saw Wrench and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED! I cannot lie, I genuinely squealed when I heard "all the things" start playing

[@AdventureHunters2013]

As someone that has a dissociative disorder and Autism, I’ve always loved NITW. It saved me when nobody knew how to help or cared to. My first tattoo was a quote from it; “At the end of everything hold onto anything”

[@jupiter_io]

this video is so good it makes me mad as someone who has seen silver and edgeworth as autistic-coded, you explained everything so well silver in the idw comics especially resonates with me -- he wants to be around people, he just struggles to do so as easily as others i could also talk forever about neurodivergency and ace attorney i mean, obviously miles edgeworth is a stand out, but the idea that phoenix is also neurodivergent is a hill i will die on -- phoenix has a very strong sense of right and wrong, is known for his out-of-the-box thinking, struggles to read the room and often makes jokes that dont land, and has a deep emotional connection to his friends that leads him to do things impulsively obviously thats circumstantial, but hes another character ive been able to see myself in a lot, and i think its good to talk about characters we consider neurodivergent who arent always introverted, cause not all of us are

[@FratFerno]

6:12 I prefer the term "mental disorder" as it does not assume inability to do things. It's like having a messy room with the potential to know where everything is.

[@polocatfan]

Disability doesn't mean someone can't do something, it just means someone has a harder time doing things.

[@noxxyy]

@@polocatfan quite right, and autism can indeed be quite the burden at times

[@bumbabees]

@@polocatfan i mean, a lot of times it does though. im disabled (autistic) and there are a _lot_ of things that neurotypical people do that i just _cant_ do. growing up around adults who always assumed i could do things the exact same way my neurotypical peers could damaged my mental health immensely. a big part of disability is adaptation. you cant do the same things able-bodied people do, but you _can_ find an alternative. human beings are flawed, and we arent superheros, but we are incredibly resilient.

[@larrychilders6599]

I just call it humanity

[@Sylvia568]

When i consider my autism, i just go "brain's a lil silly." Because my brain do be a lil silly, and yes i do often speak very childishly in real life, no i am not under the age of twelve.

[@Notsalmon547]

As someone with le ‘tism, I can just stare deep into a characters eyes and scan them, stare deep within them, realize them, make connections with their personality, and go “yep, that one, right there, thats the one I like”

[@Aznackdreampower]

SAINT PFP

[@Notsalmon547]

@ :]

[@mastermarkus5307]

I'm maybe a little surprised to see that Kieran Duffy is your go-to RDR2 autistic character, but that's just because... I hate to say it, but... Micah feels incredibly autistic. I know he's a bastard, but beyond what he says, the way he interacts with people as well as on his own was very relatable to me. Like, how he talks and moves his body.

[@sudokuacrobatics]

Yeah, being led down ( or leading ourselves down dark paths is depressingly common when it comes to us.

[@mastermarkus5307]

@@sudokuacrobatics I feel like it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, a desire to fit in can lead to being too subservient to other people's ideals, like Micah is with his father, but I feel like I've avoided a lot of dark places because they don't make logical sense to me, like far-right stuff is nonsense to me, because why should we not be working towards unity? And why can't other people see that they're just using various minorities as scapegoats? From what people describe as symptomatic, I think that my autism is a big part of why I have a logical mind.

[@mastermarkus5307]

I'd love to see someone do a video essay on Micah being autistic. I've honestly written about it on Tumblr, but I just don't have the focus and equipment to make a video about it, that would undoubtedly have more reach.

[@SilverDino64]

ooohhhh, so thats why silver is favourite character :3

[@DUSKvsDAWN]

I love all of the characters you mentioned so much. Silver will always have a special place in my heart. He reminds me of a younger me when I was a little bit like him. But through life you "live and learn" (that pun was intentional) and become better at mimicking and masking.

[@RanEdgar-ok3wk]

I’ve got Asperger’s syndrome! And I’m proud! It’s part of my identity

[@Antonwalnuts]

aspergers syndrome isn't real. it's just autism. the term aspergers was popularized by nazis.

[@Antonwalnuts]

@i557i hey fun fact: not everyone is as miserable as you are.

[@Antonwalnuts]

@@RanEdgar-ok3wk aspergers doesn't exist it is just autism. the term aspergers comes from a nazi and was popularized by communists.

[@birdcrossing]

Please dont use the term Aspergers, its outdated and is literally the name of a nazi scientist that decided which of us were worth keeping alive or not. Please use asd (autism spectrum disorder) instead, or literally anything else

[@tomatopastecans]

i love kieran so much. my absolute fav. i see his behaviors as a defense mechanism honestly, in a similar way as arthur has. arthur is mean and agressive to people as a defense mechanism while kieran is kind and compliant as his own. and both of them genuinely care for people, arthur just doesn't like to show it.

[@CoiBoiKoi717]

This video was great, as you can tell by my pfp I'm a pretty big Kieran Duffy fan. I played rdr2 at a time of my life when I was coming to terms with my diagnosis. Like you said I've been bullied for it in the past and I tried to burry it. Having a character like Kieran who I immediately latched onto and projected on oddly helped myself become more comfortable in my own skin. I have countless other characters for who I've done the same. I loved this video so much.

[@Boop__Doop]

every autistic person finds a character they like and goes "yep they an autistic boi" AND NOBODY CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE

[@qhu3878]

I dont, but the autistic coded characters always end up being my favourite and I dont realise theyre autistic coded until I'm told and I'm like _oooooooh thats so obvious how did I miss that??????_

[@R-G-No]

At 9:20 Wrench definitely has ADHD which is really commonly matched with Autism, so yeah, he is most likely autistic to some point

[@VampMoneyCollective]

Something I wanna say as an autistic man who's also disabled in multiple other ways including physically, it took a while for me to call my autism a disability due to the fact it took a while for me to accept any of my disabilities. Now I say my autism is a disability with pride because I've learnt that disability isn't a bad thing and disabled isn't a bad word It's a bit funny looking back on the fact that I was trying to insist my chronic pain condition that prevents me from walking some days and gives me serious balance issues wasn't actually a disability. Like I CANT WALK PROPERLY 😅

[@VampMoneyCollective]

Also my autism does disable me but it's also not wholly negative, like yeah I'm fully unable to function on some days but I know so much about my special interests and I've made a lot of friends through them. I honestly think the reason for so much of the is autism a disability thing comes from people assuming something being a disability means it's entirely negative or you have to be miserable all the time or whatever. Even with my serious physical disabilities they're still not like the end of my life or the worst thing that could ever happen

[@sfsinfinity5862]

“Let the cornholing begin” Single handedly best line from Josh (That was from Josh right)

[@_kakyoinsisgay_]

As a BIG Kieran fan, I'm happy more people think he's on the spectrum. I see a lot of myself in his character and the mission where you go fishing with him always touches me and makes me cry a little

[@rroes7319]

So, I have autism and a physical disability. It's not a bad thing to be disabled, and I think that mindset needs to be worked on because that just makes me feel worse about my body, and probably others, too.

[@hyperventalated]

Im playing through watch dogs 2 right now and I 100% agree about Josh. He has become my favorite character because of how respectfully he is portrayed. I really liked in the cornhole scene you showed breifly that Sitara breifly explains it to him and the conversation moves on, but then he brings it back up as if hes still thinking about it and dissecting the slang term. But Josh taking a second to "get it" and him still being on the topic despite the conversation moving past it is NOT part the joke. The writing doesnt make fun of josh having trouble socially, and instead simply includes it as part of his dialogue beats. It's wonderful to me

[@hyperventalated]

Oh also youre right, this game fucking slaps, like a lot. The amount of creativity im allowed to have in handling situations is consistently refreshing

[@nikojpeg]

This is such a good video omg. I saw Silver in the thumbnail and clicked as fast as I can, as he is my favorite character and I also read him as autistic, as an autistic person myself. Before I even got into sonic my friends made comparisons between me and him and thats part of what prompted me to look into Sonic more seriously beyond just 'oh yeah I watched Sonic X as a kid. I guess'. ALSO part of the reason I got so attatched to him so fast is because of a special interest of my own; internet aesthetics. I saw him, his design, how he was released in 2006, how he's from the future and instantly clocked him as 'Omg Frutiger Aero the Hedgehog', and that remains true. I won't info dump in your comments section but that pretty much sold me INSTANTLY on his character before I even knew his story proper and came to truly appreciate who he is and how much I see myself in him. Overall? Excellent video 10/10

[@nimbites]

Doesn’t silver have a small dick

[@SleepyHollowKnight]

Now I am NOT autistic but he seems to fit the general traits of autism and same for everything else

[@nimbites]

@ don’t worry it’s easy to tell somebody doesn’t have autism if they have normal regular pronouns and not this stupid xe xir or they crap or 2 different pronouns that aren’t related

[@ChrisisCroissant]

Mae from NITW is such a relatable character to me, and I basically felt the exact same thing for a while in my life That is, feeling like the world was just shapes and not much more. Genuinely could not put it into words until I remembered that this game exists, I'm still a bit confused about how I feel such a similar thing to Mae but thinking about this one game has got me through a lot I think this game is a masterpiece

[@chocyflakes]

wait wahagh i was like halfway through the video i knew sunny would be a autism coded character thats so cool (i love omoei)

[@sophia-f9o4d]

REAL!!@!@!@!!!!!!

[@ZoëTestament]

SAMMMEE

[@redranger2716]

CAPS LOCK!!!

[@Josuh]

omo

[@silversprings16]

omoei

[@jonasmcneal2382]

As a person with ADHD, Autism AND Dyslexia- I thought I was possibly the dumbest person in the world- I’m glad I finally began to enjoy the chaos that came with my Autism

[@nothanks7263]

I find it telling that Wrench has his eye screens express emotions for him! That's really cool!

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@LimusTSlime I'm autistic too. In the 'The Good Doctor' episode you mentioned, which is titled 'She', the titular character of the series, Shaun Murphy, had never heard of transgender people and gender dysphoria wasn't covered by his medical education. By the end of the episode, he comes to understand the young trans patient in the episode and refers to her as "she". Also, I want to point out that despite Sesame Workshop having consulted with Autism Speaks when creating the autistic child Muppet character named Julia for 'Sesame Street', based on all of the clips I have watched on KZbin, Sesame Workshop has done a really good job with the character. If such a character had been introduced in the series back in the early 2000s, perhaps a good chunk of the bullying we went through while growing up wouldn't have happened.

[@tobyzilla]

But what's sad is that Autistic people still get discriminated the reason why I'm saying this is because I'm also Autistic and I hate that I even said that but it's true because it's hard for someone like me to find a job that doesn't treat me like garbage

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@tobyzilla Yeah, there's definitely some discrimination against us. I'm sorry that you're having trouble with getting a good job.

[@tobyzilla]

@@Optimegatrongodzilla thank you

[@Optimegatrongodzilla]

@tobyzilla You're welcome.

[@valorvex6683]

This is a WONDERFUL video!!!

[@PerogiTime]

:3

[@bella_daze3092]

Somehow, the algorithm has a knack for finding all the autism creatures that roam on the Internet. Thank you to the group that recommended this.😂😂😂❤❤❤❤ you just gained a new subscriber

[@saturniidspectre]

Every day someone makes a video discussing Night in the Woods I can feel my lifespan steadily increasing.

[@choukettechoukette5342]

‘’Watch dogs 2 is one of my favorite video games of all times yeah I said it’’ and in this desert that is the internet I finally found an oasis

[@OtterOscar]

As someone who has high functioning autism I admire and loved your video about characters that maybe on the spectrum, Growing up I didn’t see any awareness about my autism nor character I can relate to. ( Except, maybe Sponge bob… i think he’s on the spectrum to and Peridot, I love Steven Universe.) Also I always thought of Mae Browski being on the spectrum ever since I played it last year and she feels So relatable to me, ever since I dropped out of college 7 years ago and me having anger issues when I was in school with no friends to support me and feeling like you’re all alone with no to talk to 😞. Thank You SO MUCH for making not feel that I’m not alone 😭.

[@chocyflakes]

thank you i am doing original character research for some o' my autistic ocs and this was a very cool video

[@alanmorton2640]

My favourite quote: If a rivalry lasts longer than 7 years, then you are more than just rivals; you are gay. That had me laughing my guts out. Thanks for making this video :)

[@tristantheoofer2]

honestly josh is so real and is pretty much a perfect representation of how i act, i aint even joking 😭 also wrench too, wtf (though i also have adhd so)

[@scumptvoid3140]

19:30 if you love mae's #girlwithissues vibe i can't wait for you to eventually discover germ near the abandoned food donkey

[@bumbabees]

germs a real one, i love him.

[@lifeinbronylandishard]

oh shit wait wrench just made me realise i might have autism. i always thought autism was having trouble socialy but this is what i experience. holy crap dude.

[@Abibas_YT]

SAAME

[@Abibas_YT]

I feel just like wrench

[@pinocchio-the-real-boy]

you should still look for official tests instead of just thinking “oh i relate to this character i think im autistic,” altho theres nothing wrong with that! :) i suggest natalie engelbrecht’s 50 question test, shes autistic herself and her tests helped me self diagnose myself

[@akoma3]

great video! super glad theres still youtubers who will just talk about what they love

[@lonestar98]

Watch Dogs 2 IS that good. I love that the game allows you to play non lethal playthrough as someone on the spectrum that doesn't always enjoy violent chaotic playthroughs. It was fun strategy game.

[@sufferingsample1837]

Ever since I played read dead 2 I got stuck in the Arthur voice... Now when I'm talking to people normally I have to watch out for that damn cowboy accent and rough voice thing.... It's a curse and a blessing

[@SonicHaXD]

The line Silver has in Team Sonic Racing is awesome XD

[@muffindoge]

28:58 there’s a new show coming out on PBS kids with a whole cast of neurodivergent characters! It’s called Carl the Collecter and as a Autistic person, I say it looks pretty well done from the trailers.

[@evil-invader]

miles edgeworth mentioned !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my goodness i think about him so much it's not even funny,, he's like. my favorite character of all timeeee

[@kfc5manager]

we noticed

[@loureedpipes]

He's such an interesting character!! He has surprising nuance and depth compared to other AA characters. I clicked on this video just because of him lol

[@mius.cereal]

@@loureedpipes same xD I’m uh very normal about him….

[@Ren722]

I had no idea Josh was on the Spectrum! A few years before being diagnosed, I loved Watch Dogs 2 for its different cast of characters, especially Wrench. Anyways, in relation to the misrepresentation of the spectrum on shows, PBS kids finally just released a series named Carl the Collector which is similar to Bluey but gives equity to representation for kids on the spectrum and includes two child voice actors who are on the spectrum as well! They're all released officially for free on PBS Kids' website and as a young adult I'm unironically hooked on it, I am just really grateful there is a show where it can lay down all the misconceptions while I get to learn some helpful tips for myself when I interact with others in the future.

[@cakesdown]

I’m currently in the middle of writing an autistic analysis of one of my special interest games, so seeing this in my recs was EXACTLY what I needed for research + perspective. Thank you so much for making and sharing this! Awesome video!

[@danielaidenxavier1451]

I would be down to watch you talk about Wrench :3 There ain’t enough love for my boi so I’m happy that you kinda feel the same way I do about him o_0

[@sagesager7584]

as someone with autism, i view it as a simple mutation, simple may not be the best word, but autism has its ups and downs, not always good or bad, it just makes us different, so again, i see it as a mutation instead of an illness or disability

[@supremeoverlord0]

Sees Sunny Omori in front and center of autism-related video- immediately clicks. As far as I'm concerned, Sunny and Basil are the autism duo. EDIT: WATCHED THE SECTION, AND ANOTHER AUTISTIC BASIL TRUTHER, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, REALLY. (also spoilers in my comment for omori, people, be warned) God everything you said about him is just.... grrrr... it's so true- and especially prevalent when you consider how modern research suggests an inclination for people on the spectrum to be more inclined to comorbidities of dissociative disorders. A huge contributor to the initial incident that led to the death of Sunny's sister was his inability to effectively process and communicate his frustrated emotions which led to him acting out in an explosive manner that took everyone off guard, an issue that many people on the spectrum can probably empathize with, especially when younger and not as acclimated to masking like Sunny was at the time. Additionally, another aspect of Sunny that I really empathized with was his self-resentment regarding the big and small things built up over the course of the story- he puts his comfort first by not confronting situations and demands of him, and in the face of his very group-oriented friends, he feels selfish as a result. He feels like he doesn't deserve them, because he feels inherently unable to exist with the same kind of action and outward expressions of aid and affection, despite truly loving and thinking about his friends all the time. Not to get too personal, but that type of incongruency- loving the people in my life with this "yay! the cool people in my head, I think about them a lot!" but outwardly being consistently being tired, sensory overwhelmed, asocial, not taking initiative in my social life, etc., has really made me feel I too, am selfish. I'm still struggling to discern what parts of me are autistic burnout and what parts are me not trying hard enough. His flat affect, extreme quiet to the point of selective mutism, difficulty with expressing emotions despite having a rich inner emotional world, extreme detail-oriented behaviors when it comes to noting habits of his friends and their preferences in his memory, among other traits are all just so pointed feeling, Sunny has such resonant autistic experiences that make me feel seen.

[@connorallen1683]

I can’t believe this whole video was just an ad for watchdogs 2, but I totally want to play it now

[@White_Willow1147]

i died at 92 percent on limbo because of you screaming "GO GET IT" at the end of the video

[@kittychu7]

gin from your turn to die is confirmed autistic!